Ellis-type compound inhaler

Made:
1870-1910 in London
maker:
Savigny and Company
Bottle and case from a Robert Ellis's mixed vapour inhaler for

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Bottle and case from a Robert Ellis's mixed vapour inhaler for
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Bottle and case from a Robert Ellis's mixed vapour inhaler for alcohol, choloroform and ether mixture anaesthesia by Savigny and Co., London, 1870-1910

Robert Ellis (1822-1885), a British obstetric surgeon, developed this inhaler in the 1860s at a time when the safety of chloroform was in dispute – the substance had been linked to a number of deaths. In his inhaler, alcohol, ether and chloroform were vaporised to be used as a combined anaesthetic. Rubber tubing connects the brass chamber to a mouthpiece through which the vapours could be breathed.

The Chloroform Committee of 1864 claimed that the use of a depressant (chloroform) could be counteracted by stimulants (ether and alcohol). Intended for use in surgery and childbirth, Ellis’s inhaler never gained mainstream use. This example was made by Savigny & Co.

Details

Category:
Anaesthesiology
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A625388
Materials:
case, wood, velvet, lined, leather, covered, instrument, brass and cloth
Measurements:
overall: 1.17kg
face mask: 72 mm x 150 mm x 80 mm, .14kg
bottle: 92 mm x 120 mm, 73 mm, .55kg
box: 92 mm x 248 mm x 112 mm, .48 mm,
type:
inhaler
credit:
Royal Society of Medicine